Insulated tank vehicle



Oct. 21, 1952 E ER ETAL 2,614,856

' INSULATED TANK VEHICLE Filed May 4, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 E I Y 20 2o 22 f m... w: INVENTORJ 21 FM d 9 BY 411 @115 od, u IA M M 2' SHEETS-SHEET 2 Ill 7] ///I ll/ F. A. BEYER ET AL INSULATED TANK VEHICLE All IIH/ Oct. 21, 1952 Filed May 4, 1950 Patented 0a. 21, 1952 7 msurnrnn TANKKVEHICLE FrankBe mvlia PhA- rad eman Har y, W-

rank; Spr n fie d M si n rs, b 9 assignments, to;...'1}ra ln10bile .1110, a corporation of Delaware ApplioatiomMayA, 1950, Serial No lfifl-fififi 7 Claims. 1:

This; inventionv relatesl'touthel constructionpof insulated: tanhmehicles: and. in particular: to-ran; improved tank- .and mounting. structure; which:

provides firm mechanical support-.but-whicn prevents. the: interchange :of heat Jfromwthe tank to 1 the vehiclef-ramer Ingeneral, the-.improvedtank consistsof aninner shell surroundedmyzaispaced jacket with insulating material. packed. between them and with the inner shellsupportedi directly upon thevehicle frame bysmeans. unload bearing r-ings which carrythe-load but presentabar-M rier tothe transmission ot heats Thestructure is -intendedparticularly for highway transport trailers but it Will be understood from the follow-..

ing disclosure that the-improvements may be; incorporated generally in the construction Of' in-M sulated tanks forthe temporary storageof heated or chilled liquids. As a preferred embodiment, the improved structure is disclosed in conjunc-Q tion with l a semi-trailer with the tank supported byroad wheelsat the rearward end and upon a fifth wheelatthe forward end.

Insulatedtanks ofthis class are used extensively in. transporting liquids which,- duringtransit; must be i kept at l a temperature which iseitherhigheror lowerthanthe temperature of the air; since tank vehiclesare-not provided-withrefrigerating on heating equipment. As one example, they are used in transporting milk whichis chilled-before loading and which mustbe maintained-at a low temperature in transit toprevent spoilage. As another example, they; are

employed in haulineasph'alt which is heated to i an elevated temperature toreduce-ittea-liquid state for loading-which must be maintained at or near thi's temperature toprevent it from stiffening;beforepitis unloaded. The tank itransports are "used in-hauling various other materials in, heated or chilled condition, making it-necessary'to prevent the transfer of heat" to or from the inner tank for a "fairly long; period while the vehicle is intransit:

The outer'shel-lor jacket is in contact with a supporting frame; such-as the vehiclechassis,

and the inner shell is supportedby-a series-of load" bearing rings which support theinner shell upon the vehicleframeand-space thetwo shells from one another. The-insulation between the shells may consist: ofmineral wool or similar material which presentsv abarrier tothe inter-. change of heat or, on the otherhand, a.dead'air space :may, in some cases, provide sufiloientinsulation. In either event, theload'bearingtrings arenecessary. to hold the inner andouter tank shells in spacedirelationship with respectt-o one 2 another and to support the inner shell since-the. insulating, material is incapable of providing me;-

chanical support for the inner shellwhich bears theweig ht load of the liquid contents.

It has been found that the use of ordinary. metal spacers between the tank shells is unsatise factory because a considerable amount of-heat is conducted through the spacers by directheat transfer between the inner shell and theframes upon which it is supported and this-reduces. very.

seriously the insulating efficiency of the tankm unit. In other words, because of the thin-metal sections of the tank shells, a considerablenumber of spacers is necessary to provide adequate mechanical strength; thereforefa considerable. proportion of the tank area is in metallic-connection withthe frame causing proportionate heat losses. Non-metallic spacersbwhich may. have heat insulating qualities are notpractical because they lack the necessary physical strength; and are expensive and difilcultj-to construct and:

install. M

A principal object of the inventionshas been to eliminate the directinterchange of "heatrbetween the inner tank shell and its supporting,

frame and jacket bythe provision of a tank; structure having a seriesofload lbearing;zirings interposed between the inner and outer shells; which rings provide a rigid mechanicalwsupp'ort for the inner shell upon thetframe but which also provide a barrier to thepassage of heatfrom.

the inner shell through the rings to maintain the heat insulating efficiency of. the tankflAs applied to a semi-trailer, the load bearing rings.

consist ofmetal ring sectorshaving .a heatuiri-i sulating section interru'ptingtheirmetal-sections and which rest upon th e frame-tosup'port the inner shell, the sectors being sufliciently wide in cross section to space theinner shell from the outer one and thus provide an insulating I. space between them. The rings are secured pre'ferably by welding them to the respective shells to. secure the shells rigidly; and permanently in spaced relationship. Preferably the" rings are fabricated in sectors, then welded; to the as enbled inn er shell, the'outer shell orjacket being' applied in sections and welded -to the outer pe:

riphery of the assembled rings. The rings are spaced longitudinally of the'tank, as dictated by the length of the tank and'the thicknessof the metal employed in its fabrication. i

As above outlined, the heat loss by conduction:

through the load. bearing, rings. is eliminated: in: the present structure by interposingxin eachring a layer of heat insulating material. ln rits pres;

cross section which is clinched over upon the insulating sheet. The metal sheath preferably is channel shaped in cross section having a width dimension to receive and embrace the metal band and asbestos sheet and the side flanges of the channel are bent downwardly over the marginal edges of the insulating sheet and band to clinch the sheet under pressure. The resultin structure constitutes a base flange having a high degree of mechanical strength, for attachment purposes, with the insulated sheet sandwiched therebetween to provide an efficient heat barrier. Being held under pressure, the insulating sheet is able to withstand in compression the forces imposed upon it without wear or the danger of failure since it is immobilized and completely enclosed between the band and metal sheath.

In the preferred structure, the assembled ring section represents the base flange of the T-iron to the inner shell in a position to be welded flatly to the outer surface of ,the shell and the metal sheath surrounding the band of the T-iron provides a flange adapted to be welded directly to the inner surface of the jacket. The T-iron base flange thus may be welded'conveniently to the inner tank shell insectors which are rolled then rolled to the necessary radius conforming to the periphery of the tank. The T-irons are rolled separately and welded to the band assemblies; thus, each ring may consist of sectors which are joined end-to-end toencircle the inner tank upon assembly. These sectors are welded to the inner tank, after which the outer tank or jacket may be welded in sections to the load bearing. rings as above noted with the insulating material packed between the shells'as assembly progresses. Spacers of similar construction are also applied at the ends of the tanks, in thiscase, thespacers being of substantially the same construction but being applied in straight condition corresponding to the shape of the tank ends. After assembly, the tank is mounted upon cradles carried by the trailer frame, the cradles being aligned with the load bearing rings so that the weight load of the in- Y ner tank is transmitted directly through the load I tank stresses.

By virtue of its shape and construction, the inner tank has sufficient strength and rigidity along its longitudinal axis to support itself when spanning a pair of spaced supports; therefore, as applied to a semi-trailer, the chassis may be eliminated and the tank may be supported at opposite ends upon a running gear frame at the rear end and upon a fifth wheel frame at the forward end with its intermediate portion spanning the frames. This simplifies construction and increases the load capacity of the vehicle.

Further features and advantages of the present improvement will be more fully apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed. description in conjunction with the drawings.

In the drawings: I

Figure l is a general fragmentary side elevation of a tank trailer constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross sectional View taken on line lie-2, Figure l, detailing the tank assembly and. mounting arrangement. I

Figure 3 is a side view of, one of the load bearing ring sectors forming the major radius of the oval ring assembly disclosed in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a ring sector adapted to form the minor radius of the oval load bearing ring.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5-5, Figure 2, illustrating in detail the construction and arrangement of the load bearing rings with respect to the inner and outer tank shells.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing a modified form of load bearing ring, which provides substantially the same insulating and load bearing characteristics as the form shown in Figur 5.

In the preferred embodiment disclosed in Figure 1, the improved tank is elliptical or oval in cross section with its major axis disposed horizontally relative to the trailer frame, as Viewed in Figure 2. The inner tank, by virtue of its construction, is more rigid along its longitudinal axis than the usual trailer chassis; consequently, it has been found that the chassis can be omitted and the tank supported at opposite ends upon the running gear and fifth wheel. As shown in Figure 1, there is provided a running gear frame indicated at ill which is supported upon road wheels ll, and the forward end of the tank is provided with a frame 12, having upon its undersurface a fifthwheel (not shown), adapted to mate with the fifth wheel of a tractor to establish a draft connection with the tractor in the usual manner.- The tank which is indicated at l3 consists of an inner tank I i, an outertank l5 and a series of load bearing rings l6 which encircle the tank at spaced intervals along its length. These rings support the inner shell upon the frames and maintain the inner and outer shells in spaced relationship with a suitable insulating material I'l, such as mineral wool packed in the space between the shells for heat insulating purposes. The opposite ends of the tank (not shown) are constructed in a similar fashion, having inner and outer walls spaced by means of straight spacers which follow in cross section the structure of the load bearing rings shown in Fig ure 5 or 6.

Asshown in Figures 1 and the tank assembly is mounted upon the running gear frame I0 and a fifth wheel frame it with the intermediate portion of the .tank bridging the two framesnels -2 l', 'being"-secured thereto by welding or rivet ing. Tha -framed]! is supported "upon" thero'adwheels H- by'"springs= (notshown) which have their ends anchored in shackles secured in;tliecustomary fashion to the-underside of *the longitudinal cliannels 20 -205 The fifth wheel frame l2preferably follbws thesame general construc tion as -the-running gear" frame Ill having; in addition; a fifth wheel plate (not-shown)'- secured to its undersurface adapted to rest upon thefifthwheel-10f the 'tractorr ln 'additionythereis providedTa landing gearor prop (notshown') arranged to support the forward end" of the ve= hicle wheni it-isuncoupled' from the tractor; The

tank?- is provided; with one or more loading:

hatches 23 along its top and suitable valves 24 at its bottom which pass'through theouter jacket and insulating material and communicate with the" inner' shell. The various other structural detailspf the'vehicle have, been omitted from the. disclosure. since they-are not pertinent tothe present invention.

Referring to Figure 5, the cradlesfllil are located in vertical alignment with the" load bear- 1 ing rings [6, each ring being provided with a centralload'bearing "web 25, as hereinafter'described in detail. The cradles l8. are located in alignment with thesewebs, as indicated in Figure 1, so thatitheweight load'i'imposed upon the inner tankbyitsycontents is transmitted directly in compression through the web to the cradles 18, the upperedge' of the cradles being welded'as at Z-E'to the outer tank, shell; As above noted, the load bearing'rings include aheat insulating sheet arrangedto function as a barrier "to the direct transmission. of heat through the rings; the structural details of the arrangement being disrclosedwith greater particularity hereinafter in conjunction with Figures and6.;

In the present example, the. inner shell I4 preferably' is fabricated from sheet metal. panels. which are" formed to the, tank contour. and. butt weldedtogeltherto prov'idea sealedunit, As, disclosed' in Figure 5, the weldedll'oint's 21, whichena circle the shell" preferably are located at theiload. bearing rings, thereby joining the tank panel's securelyto the rings and utilizing the rings as a backing along-the edges of the joined panels. The elliptical cross section of the tank itself renders it self-supporting along its longitudinal axis as above noted; also, the load bearing rings reenforce it across its transverse axis by virtue ofth'eir stiffness; in addition to supportingthe tanka: The outer shell I5 serves'primarily as a jacket to en'closexand-i protect" the insulating man terial ll; thesloadr being-carried. bythe rings IE1 and transmitted to the, cradles It with the outer shell virtually unstressed by thejloadi.

In assembling thetank, the loadbearing rings arelfabricated in sectors which are Welded tothe tank atspaced intervals coincidingwith the location; of the support cradles 18;. Inv the present example; the rings; for the elliptical: tank: consist ofiaapairoiupper and lower sectors; 28; (Figure 3) The havingtavlongzradiuaandalpairsor sidersectorsi'fli (EigureAD havingwaiashort'radius: These: sectors are constructed; inf straighticonditidn, them benti: to the necessary radiusz; The structure: showmin:

* Figure 5 ispreierably fabricat'edkbywrapping thei-i asbestos insulating sheet 3! around a. straight band of: steel 32vandvp1acing1 a. channelvsh-apeid sheath. 33 over: the: assembledvband and sheet.

The portions: oftthe: channel 1' indicated iby brolt em reduce the weightwofthewehicle.

lines at 3.4: are; then folded down. upon: the ass-- best'osL sheet" to: clinchqthe parts permanently in} pressurew engagement. The: assembled ban it; channel. and sheet are then rolled into-the shapesa shown 'in: Figures 3. and-e101: assembly upon the tank; the matingyT-irons-ji are rolled; toa;- correspondingg-radius; The: :edgeaof the central; weh 25 is? then-r. welded as atz36 tow the; band, 31;:

to formrtherring sectors; 28/and 301 Thesetasesembled'; sectorsv are then secured by welding: the? base: flange 31 of. the T-iron tothey innerytanls, either from the inside-atthejoint 2:1 between the: panels or by welding the-v edges of, the flangee 31s to the outsideof the tank, or; both. After thee assembled ring, sections aretwelded in place-the formed sheet metal panels constitutingthez-outen shell may be joinedjasvat wltorthesheath 33r-off the load bearing ring along the buttejointsber tween the panels with thesheatlr providing a backing for the edges of thespanelse V n In the:construction shown, in Figure-5, it wilLbe observed: that the asbestos sheet3l interruptsthei" continuity or the metal connection constituted by the assembled ringito: prevent a direct metal heat leak through thearing' providingat thexsame; time'a rigid structurefor; supporting theload: In a" trailer vehicle which: carries themtanlc only at opposite ends with-the tank:spanningtherunning gear andfifth'wheel, therloadbearing-rings;which; are located at the running: gear and fifth: wheel frames carry the i lead; 'vvhile those: intbetweent serve merely to1 space the outer shell from the,

inner" shell; If desired; thereioreathei spacing of" the intermediate rings may ibiBT increased toi elimi.-- mate a certain number of them and: therebyvtd.

In the modified ring structure disclosed in Fige ure 6,. the. load bearing ring' performs the same function as that disclosed in F igure-ExeXeeptthat the insulating'sheet' 3! is installed upon thefbase flange 31 of thieT-iror'r with the; flat: band -32 weldedto the vertical flange of the T-'iron. In

this construction, the ring sectors are assembled-i in straight condition, the assembled T-iron and band beingseparately rolled-to the proper curva ture', then welded together the samemanner strength as the structures illustrated in the draw ings. This arrangementis shownin-Figureh by? the broken lines indicated at ll i In the several ring structuresidisclosed; the" clinched engagement ofthe metal, sheath upon the insulating sheetinterlocksthejsheath securely'with respecttotheband32. The 'shea'thithus is completelyprotected from nietalto-metal contact and being underp'ressure' engagement in all directions, prevents relative creep between the insulatingusheet and its band or core. By -pre-" venting relative movement between the metalsecshell being secured to the said spacer members and maintained thereby in spaced relationship with the inner shell, heat insulating material in terposed between the spaced inner and outer shells adapted to provide a barrier to the interchange of heat between the spaced shells, the metallic spacer members each'including a heat insulating section comprising, a transverse flange, a heat insulating sheet surrounding said flange, and a metal sheath enclosing the heat insulating sheet, the heat insulating section being interposed in the said metal spacer members to provide a barrier to the direct transfer of heat through the spacer members with respect to the spaced metal tank shells.

2. A heat insulated tank for the temporary storage of liquids comprising, an inner tank shell, a series of load bearing rings secured to and encircling the outer surface of the inner tank shell, the said load bearing rings having a metal web extending outwardly from the surface of the inner tank shell, a flange secured to the outer edge of the metal web, an outer tank shell enclosing the inner shell, the outer tank shell being maintained in spaced relationship with respect to the inner shell by the said webs, the spaced inner and outer shells being adapted to provide a barrier to the interchange of heat therebetween, a heat outer flanges along opposite edges of the webs, an router tank shell in spaced relationship with the inner shell, yieldable insulating material interposed between the spaced shells to provide a barrier to the interchange of heat between the shells, a flexible sheet formed of heat insulating material surrounding at least one of the flanges of the load bearing rings, and a metal sheath surrounding the flexible sheet and secured to'the inner surface of the outer tank shell, the flexible sheet being adapted to present a barrier to the transfer of heat through the load bearing rings,

the load bearing rings being arranged to space rigidly the inner tank with respect to the outer and being sustained by the vehicle to support the weight load of the inner tank shell without stressing the outer tank shell. I I

4. In aninsulated tank for vehicles adapted to transport liquids, an inner tank shelLa series of load bearing rings encircling the inner shell, the said rings having metal webs and inner and outer flanges along opposite edges of the webs, the said inner'flanges being secured upon'the outer sur face of the inner shell, an outer tank shell enclosing the inner shell, the outer shell being maintained by the load bearing rings in spaced relationship with respect to the inner shell, a heat insulating sheet surrounding the outer flange of the load bearing rings, a metal sheath enclosing the heat insulating sheet and providing a mechanical interlock upon the flange, 'and mounting means on the vehicle engaging the outer tank shell beneath said metal sheath adapted to support the inner tank with the heat insulatingsheet presenting a barrier to the interchange of heat between the inner tank and the mounting means,

5. In an insulated tank adapted to be mounted upon the frame of a vehicle for the transportation of liquids, an insulated tank shell, a series of load bearing members for supporting the tank shell upon the vehicle frame, the said load bearing members having metal webs and marginal flanges secured in spaced relationship with respect to one another along the opposite edges of the metal webs, a flexible sheet formed of heat.

insulating material surrounding at least one of the said marginal flanges, a metal sheath clinched in pressure engagement with the heat insulating sheet and surrounding the same to provide a mechanical interlock upon'the flange with the heat insulating sheet interposed between the flange and sheath to present a barrier to the transfer of heat, and mounting cradles secured upon the vehicle in alignment with the metal support webs of the load bearing members to support the insulated tank shell uponthe vehicle frame.

6. In an insulated tank trailer for transport ing liquids, an elongated inner tank shell adapted to contain the liquid in transit, a plurality of load bearing rings encircling the inner shell and secured thereto, an outer tank shell enclosing the inner shell, the outer shell being maintained in the said frames in self-supporting position, and

a heatinsulating section comprising, a transverse flange, a heat insulating sheet surrounding said flange, and a metal sheath enclosing the heat insulating sheet, the heat insulating sheet being interposed in the load bearing rings to present a barrier to the transfer of heat between the trailer frames and inner shell through the load bearing rings. I I

'7. In an insulated tank adapted to be mounted upon a vehicle frame and having an inner tank shell, a load bearing ring adapted to support the tank with respect to the vehicle frame comprising, a T-iron having a central web and a base flange adapted to be secured to the inner tank shell, a heat insulated flange constituting a metal core welded to the edge of the central web and spaced from the said base flange, a heat insulating sheet wrapped about the said metal core, and a metal sheath wrapped about the heat insulating sheet, the metal sheath being clinched in pressure engagement upon'the insulating sheet REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date A Buchanan May 16, 1933 Comstock May '11, 1935 Widman et a1 July 2'1, 1937 Bonsall May 1'1, 1938 Kramer May 30, 1939 Frank Aug. 22, 1939 Friedly Sept. 8,1942 

